Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Hussein Mohammed has now called for unity to move the game forward after a tumultuous one month of leadership battles that have rocked the management of the game in the country.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday hours after Fifa, in a letter, reprimanded a group of the National Executive Committee (NEC) members for using unconstitutional means to try and change the FKF leadership, Hussein said his “original and immediate instinct” was reconciliation.
"Football unites us. The entire ecosystem of Kenya needs to move and work together as a team. I cannot succeed in isolation. We need to have aligned interests,” Hussein said.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president, Hussein Mohammed speaks to the media in Nairobi on May 26, 2026.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
“Fifa’s letter affirms what I have been saying all along. I have been vindicated. I am a stickler for rules. I will not bend any laws. What happened one month ago was a gross violation of my constitutional rights. We must follow due process and if a member is disgruntled, there are judicial bodies that find solutions for situations where we do not agree,” he said.
“There are issues now that we must deal with in terms of disciplinary processes. We cannot operate as if we are in a jungle. We cannot tolerate impunity. We cannot live our lives smearing others without consequences,” the FKF boss said.
In the letter addressed to FKF and the nine breakaway NEC members, led by FKF vice president McDonald Mariga, Fifa rejected the suspension of Hussein, FKF Secretary General Dennis Gicheru, and Abdalla Yusuf, a co-opted NEC member.
On April 24, the nine NEC members, including Benard Korir Lagat (Upper Rift), Caleb Amwayi Sikobe (Western), Collins Opiyo Kalee (Nyanza), Dan Shikanda (Nairobi), Gabriel Mghendi (Coast), Peter Kamau (Lower Rift), Robert Macharia (Central), and Kerubo Momanyi (Woman Representative) had resolved that the trio step aside pending investigations into fraud allegations over procurement of insurance cover worth Sh42.5 million for the 2024 African Nations Championship (Chan) that Kenya co-hosted with Uganda and Tanzania in August 2025.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) vice president McDonald Mariga (Left) and NEC member for Nairobi Dan Shikanda when they appeared before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture at Bunge Tower in Nairobi on May 5, 2026.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
The dissenting NEC members installed Mariga as the federation’s acting president. But Hussein secured court orders blocking his removal from office.
In the intervening period, Fifa, through their Chief Member Associations Officer Elkhan Mammadov, wrote to the NEC members on April 26 instructing them to provide documentary evidence showing their decision followed due process.
After reviewing the response NEC submitted on May 1, Mammadov wrote to the two parties on Monday stating that the information and documents the Mariga group provided “do not demonstrate that the applicable procedural requirements were respected”.
“Fifa therefore categorically rejects the procedure that has been followed in this matter,” Mammadov said, underpinning the statement with references to Article 41 of the 2017 FKF Constitution which regulates the process of the provisional removal or provisional suspension of a FKF member.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Hussein Mohammed arrives at Serena Hotel, Nairobi to address a press conference May 26, 2026.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
Mammadov also urged the two parties to “ensure that any further actions are conducted in strict conformity with the FKF Constitution and the principles of good governance.”
Reacting to Fifa’s letter, FKF and the NEC members, led by Mariga released statements affirming the integrity of the federation’s constitution, committed to conducting future business within FKF’s constitutional framework, and collaborating with the world football body and CAF.
While FKF stated that they “remain fully operational and committed to upholding the principles of good governance, constitutional order, transparency, and institutional integrity in the management of football in Kenya”, the Mariga group averred that their actions “have at all times been guided by the best interests of the federation and the need to safeguard transparency, accountability, and credibility in football administration.”
At the same time, Fifa hinted at disciplinary action against the nine NEC members.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) vice president McDonald Mariga when he appeared before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture at Bunge Tower in Nairobi on May 5, 2026.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
“Finally, we recall that any actions taken by members of FKF or by members of FKF bodies in breach of the FKF constitution, rules, and regulations may expose the individuals concerned to consequences, including potential disciplinary measures, as provided for under the FKF constitution,” Fifa’s Chief Member Associations Officer wrote
Disagreements between the head of the federation and members of the NEC are not uncommon in Kenyan football.
Way back in 2012, following a protracted feud, then FKF president Sam Nyamweya orchestrated a six-year ban on his vice president Sammy Shollei. The ban was later lifted by the courts.
Much earlier, in 2006, Alfred Sambu, who had been elected KFF (Kenya Football Federation) president in 2004, fell out with his NEC members who suspended him, forcing Fifa to intervene. The government then disbanded KFF, leading to Sambu's exit.
